Carluke park almost ready, and road will be sorted

Helen McCall

The new children’s play area at Moor Park in Carluke is finally taking shape and it should be opening shortly.

After years of waiting, the playground is going ahead with the new equipment, topped by a wonderfully high chute.

Almost ready to open (Picture Sarah Peters)

New turf is being laid around the new equipment, and the playpark is expected to be open shortly.

But there are fears that those planning to use the new playground may find not everything is new and fit for purpose.

The road off Belstane Road, up the side of the bowling club, is rutted and potholed with deep puddles. The road leading up to the car park is a total disgrace,” one member of the public told the Gazette.

“And over at the entrance between the hedges at Moorside Street there’s a dip which floods during heavy rain and the council just put a old fence round it which will take the look off the park.

“I have complained to the council but they said nothing can be done.”

However, on Tuesday, Stephen Kelly, Head of Service Facilities, Waste & Grounds Services for South Lanarkshire Council, said that the road would be repaired.

He told the Gazette: ”As part of the newly refurbished play facility at Moor Park, Carluke, the pot holes and damaged surfaces on the access road will also be repaired.

“We anticipate full access to the new facility will be available by the end of April 2016.”

And the council said that pedestrian access to the park from the housing side had been fully re-graded complete with a brand new tarmacadam pedestrian footpath, which would cut down the rainwater floods there.

Carluke residents have been waiting years for the new playpark, and there were fears as far back as 2011 that it would not go ahead.

By May 2015 all that remained were the empty frames of the swings, but then it was announced that over £140,000 would be spent putting new equipment into the park for toddlers and older children, with local youngsters helping with the designs.